


Will I Find My Home

by LuckyPossums



Series: I Am Always With You [2]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Other, Pet Names, Protectiveness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:07:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25401343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyPossums/pseuds/LuckyPossums
Summary: For Bloodhound, the Epicenter was filled with old memories and still fresh scars.Elliott didn't expect them to come to light after a surprise avalanche.
Relationships: Bloodhound/Mirage | Elliott Witt
Series: I Am Always With You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1839745
Comments: 8
Kudos: 53





	Will I Find My Home

Growing up in Solace, Elliott had never imagined that snow could feel so heavy.

His team was at the Epicenter, their third teammate was already down, respawn opportunity long gone and Bloodhound was struggling to hold their ground. Elliott had caught a zipline to the top of the tower and he had heard the hum of a charge rifle shot register far above his head. A terrible shot really and one that made his lips curve into a smug grin.

Then he had heard the loosening of ice and snow above him before he felt it come crashing down on him in an instant.

Heavy. That was all he could describe it as. There should have been more words, crushing, cold, freezing but they were all forgotten from his mind. It was too cold to think and all he wanted to do was struggle against the weight compressing him.

It was all too much. Pushing him down. Making him smaller. His head felt as if it was filled with cold cotton.

Something caught his ankle and he couldn't even think of struggling as that force began to drag him from the cold tomb that had enclosed him.

There was something on his face. Hands? Brushing the snow out of his eyelids and opening his jaw to let in the still cold air around him. His eyes were awfully heavy when he opened them.

Opened them to the sight of Bloodhound's bare hounds, those aged scars were completely unmistakably _theirs._

"Hound your hands-"

"You're alive," Bloodhound breathed out shakily and muttered something else under their breath that sounded like a prayer.

Elliott coughed out, "your hands. The cameras might-"

The rest of the air in his lungs was forced out when Bloodhound pulled him in for a firm embrace. He felt their hand on his back, shifting him out of the pile of snow and ice that he had been buried in.

Elliott scanned around him, there was no sign of the enemy team, so Bloodhound must have taken them out before taking the zipline to him.

He was shaking against them like a leaf, part of it from the cold but part of it was from something much greater. He had been in gunfights before where he had hidden behind the thinnest of covers, only shooting between the use of each syringe he had left.

Those moments were exhausting when he knew that he was just wasting time. Each syringe only prolonged the pain before the inevitable but a voice would always remind him in the back of his mind, to put on a good show.

"The cameras were destroyed in the fight," they told him softly. "Don't speak, you're hurt and you need help."

"Hound I don't need helping," Elliott insisted, brushing off the snow on his shoulders. "It wasn't that big of a deal, just had a bath...A really cold heavy snow bath but I didn't even get shot."

"You could have died!" Bloodhound snapped.

That wasn't what Elliott was expecting.

 _It was just ice_ , he wanted to say but he had a feeling that wouldn't make anything better.

So instead he said, "sit down with me."

"We..." They trailed off in a tiny voice like they were suddenly embarrassed by their actions. "We should keep moving."

"Just for a few minutes...Puppy?" Elliott pressed, tagging on that little nickname that he knew they found secretly endearing.

Bloodhound stared at him a moment longer before they sat down, leaning against the survey beacon. It felt too far apart for what just happened but Elliott hated the feeling of being needy and scrounging for scraps of affection.

He swallowed, "Um...I know you're not but are you okay?"

"It's alright," they sighed, "I just worry for you."

"We've been in fights before," he murmured, "I've never seen you like this."

That was true enough, ever since the beginning of their relationship, Bloodhound had not feared for him even in the worst of fights. They were always determined, careful to protect him of course but he wasn't used to this sort of protectiveness.

Elliott desperately wanted to see their face behind that mask but even without any camera drones around, he knew it was too risky to ask them to remove it.

Still, he imagined their mouth thinning tightly when they said, "ice can be as deadly as any blade or bullet."

"You're not even looking at me."

After a long moment, Bloodhound took their eyes off of the horizon, slowly turning to face him. "You look so cold," they said in that small vulnerable voice.

Elliott rose a hand to his numb face to brush away any snow or ice left in his hair but their hand moved first instead.

He loved moments like this although he knew that he couldn't melt into their affection during a match. Still, he loved the way their hands fumbled through his hair, always so careful and clever to never snag any knots.

He giggled a touch as their hand ran through his hair, "your hands are so warm."

Elliott didn't stop smiling as their hand brushed the cold from his beard and drew patterns along his cheekbones. Their hands were warm, something that shouldn't be a surprise considering their warm gear but it was a delightful surprise in this weather.

He knew that they were cautious of their scars, nervous to show them around him. If he could, he would have spent time mapping a road of kisses down those scars, assuring them that they had nothing to be afraid of.

However, those moments were reserved for those early moments in bed as the sun rose and they talked over breakfast. They weren't meant for times like this when they had to pretend that they barely knew each other in the arena.

"Is that better?" They asked.

"I really am alright you know," he assured them weakly, "even if the cold got to me then you could've just respawned me."

Their hand disappeared in an instant, "you should never have been in that position in the first place. We never should have landed here-"

"Woah woah, mistakes happen," he interrupted, "we can't always aht-anip-anticipate them."

" _I_ should've anticipated them, I should've been better when..."

"When what?" He asked quietly.

Elliott was swiftly learning that silence could be just as cold as ice. This relationship was new and he had coaxed things from them before but...He knew this was different.

He murmured, "you told me that you grew up on Talos once."

"I did, yes," they said with a sense of finality that almost made Elliott flinch.

He leaned back, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine Elliott, I didn't mean to sound so cold," they amended. For a moment, they took a long exhale before they asked, "do you see that spot over there past the hill?"

He squinted a bit, eyeing to where they were pointing, "um, yeah."

"There used to be a house there," they said impossibly quiet, "it was where my parents raised me."

"R-Right there?" He asked and leaned forward. "What was it like?"

They took a deep breath, "I was very young but...I remember that it was so warm during the days and the nights were so dry and dark. Even then, I loved adventuring outside despite the warnings that my parents gave me."

"It was hot?" He asked surprised.

Their hand clutched the base of the survey beacon, "these towers were installed to cool the surrounding areas from the lava flow and they worked...For a time."

Elliott winced again, he was treading on new territory and he didn't know how to pave the way so that they would feel safe.

He set his hand on theirs and said, "Bloodhound you don't-"

"I need you to promise me that you won't come to this place anymore," they said quickly yet sternly.

"The Epicenter?"

Their breath rattled through the respirator, "if something happened to you here and I could've prevented it then I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"Puppy nothing's going to happen," Elliott promised, "I'm right here with you."

To his surprise, their hand ruffled through his hair again. Not to remove debris, just to touch and Elliott sunk into the feeling.

"I need you to know that I am grateful for every moment that I have with you," they told him softly.

"Hold on a second," he stopped them, "I've heard enough of those speeches to know that I don't like where this is going. Both of us are here and we're both safe."

They nodded, "I know but I also know how quickly that can change."

Elliott entangled his fingers in theirs before he promised, "I won't come here anymore. I'll keep my neck out of here."

"I didn't even give you a reason," they said weakly.

"You didn't need to," he said and gave them a small smile, "as long as it matters to you...Plus, my gear isn't that warm so it's no loss for me."

They gave a small shuddering laugh and he gave a long exhale in relief, he could still make them smile.

Bloodhound shook their head and shifted a bit closer to him so that they could lean their head on his shoulder.

"This place..." They murmured. "This tower malfunctioned years ago and caused the freeze you see today. That - That was when I lost my parents."

His hands raised on instinct, needing to hold them, reassure them.

"Bloodhound I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have landed us here and...Oh shit, I asked you to sit down and wait here and...We should just move somewhere else."

When he tried to rise, Bloodhound's hands slipped up to his wrist, gently tugging him back down.

"Elliott sit down it's alright," they whispered. "To me, this is a place of anguish, I hate this place and yet...These were the hills I ran across with my mother when I was a child, any trace of my parents that remains is here."

"You're here," Elliott said weakly. He wasn't even sure he knew what he was saying at this point. All he knew was that they needed him and he wanted to be there even if he felt helpless. "I mean...They still live on through you and your memory of them whenever you share it."

Bloodhound nodded dimly and their grip on his wrist loosened. They were no longer looking at him, now gazing out to that empty space where their home used to be.

A space that was now the site of a blood sport game. Like it was mean to be used for entertainment and fun. Elliott could imagine a blue sky that Bloodhound grew up with and the small steps they would take across the hills and valleys here.

Now that sky had been turned red by the Harvester and everything under it suffered and wilted.

After a long moment, they spoke, "I know they are not gone forever. I know that I will see them again when I die but...I still miss them every day and every day I wish they were here with me. I wish they were there for every moment as I grew up."

"You deserved to have that I-I'm sorry," he told them but every single word of his felt too weak, too insufficient.

"I used to look over my shoulder for them even after they were gone," Bloodhound whispered. "When I was a child finding tracks in the snow, I would always look back to call them only to find no one waiting for me."

He shivered, "I-"

"I still find myself looking over my shoulder sometimes," they admitted in a hoarse voice. A voice that was oh so tired. "Still expecting them to be there like I'll see their faces full of pride."

"I'm sure they would be," Elliott told them while he rubbed small circles on their bare hand. "They'd be so proud of you."

Bloodhound focused back onto him and he could almost see beyond those lenses.

They tipped their head down to look at their intertwined hands and said, "I'm glad you think so."

"I know so," he promised them.

Bloodhound shook their head softly but Elliott only leaned forward to press a small kiss onto their respirator. They leaned back and he immediately stilled, worried that he had done something wrong but they simply gave a small laugh.

It was only a small and quiet laugh, more a release of tension than anything else but it still warmed and soothed his heart.

"I'm so very glad to have you in my life Elliott Witt," they told him.

"And I'm just as happy to have you...Puppy."

Bloodhound groaned and pushed him away playfully, "oh stop it with that puppy nonsense."

Elliott laughed and leaned in closely, "really? Because I think you kind of like that nickname."

"Then you are deluding yourself," they grumbled.

"You're tough sure," he grinned, "but I think underneath all those layers is just a big ol' puppy."

They huffed, "if you dare call me that in front of anyone else, you will never see under all these layers again-"

"Just between you and I puppy," he promised them quickly as he slid back closer to them. "As long as you admit that you like being called puppy just a teenie weenie bit."

Bloodhound stared at his plain grin for a moment before they hung their head.

They sighed before they admitted, "it...Is sometimes a nice nickname to hear."

"I knew it," he whispered loudly, "who knew that the fearsome, powerful, grand hunter Bloodhound would be brought to their knees by a pet name."

"I have not been 'brought to my knees,'" they grumbled and he could swear that he noticed their eyes roll. "It is simply endearing."

He hummed in agreement, glad enough that they seemed comfortable enough to joke or prod at him now. They seemed more at ease, staring out at the world as if it was more than the past, a place of possibility.

Elliott looked down to check his console and groaned, "we still have some time before the ring reaches us but we might have to start moving to Survey Camp soon."

Their posture seemed to sag slightly and they asked slowly and softly, "do you mind...If we sit here for a little longer?"

"You want us to stay here?" He asked them.

"I think if you are here..." They began to say before taking a moment to squeeze his hand. "I think it will help me to remember this place as something greater than the tragedy it became and the tragedy that could come."

He tensed, "could?"

Bloodhound turned their head towards the red light in the sky that called out like an omen, the Harvester on the horizon.

"I see that and all I can think of this place," they murmured, "and the lessons of the past that they have failed to learn. I know that I am only one person and because of that sometimes I fear that I am powerless to stop what I know will happen again."

"Another meltdown," Elliott echoed the thought.

They nodded, "I can only pray that you are far away when it happens."

There was still a sense of unease around them that was apparent to Elliott. He knew that they liked to lock away those moments of fear and anxiety far away. Elliott couldn't criticise them for it, not when he so often did the same.

But Bloodhound had soothed so many of those fears away in the short time that they had been together. They seemed to do it so seamlessly while Elliott felt as if he was constantly fumbling for whatever answer would make them feel best.

"Hopefully not in the next few hours," Elliott said lightly, desperately hoping to drag a smile from them.

They huffed a small laugh, "until then, I think we can remain here a while longer."

"As long as you feel safe," he told them, praying that those were the right words.

They shook their head, "it's not hard to when I'm with you."

He felt the smile light up on his face, he couldn't help it. For all that he teased Bloodhound with the name 'puppy', he knew that he was equally starved for praise and touch as they were.

In this line of work it sometimes felt like a trap. Elliott had thought that being an Apex Legend would make life easier, he hadn't expected to feel more restricted than ever before. Recently, he had started wondering if there would ever be a way to quit being a competitor in someone else's game.

So moments like these, moments where it was just them, these were the times that he had to hold close to his chest.

He noticed those round lenses focusing on him again, looking to him for something to say.

His lips fell into an easy smile when he said, "well...I'll be sure to keep you safe from those geysers."

"I can't believe you remembered that story," they said.

"Of course I did!" He exclaimed. "I _do_ remember everything you tell me you know. I'm good at speaking but lucky for you I'm also good at listening."

They squeezed his hand, a fond laugh breaking from their mouth before they said, "if you think that was bad...I never did tell you about the lava story did I?"

"Well now you're og-obig-obigi-uh-obligated that's it, now you're obligated to tell me," he told them.

Bloodhound began to lapse into a story of their youth, one equally funny yet terrifying to hear. He clung onto every word of theirs as they spun their tale and he only spoke up to exclaim or gasp.

And before he knew it, the idea of the games vanished from his mind. There was no fear to watch below for hidden enemies or the camera drone replacements that would eventually head their way.

Those fears belonged to the future but at this moment there was only them. A frozen moment in time.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic truly was a joy to write and I hope you all enjoy it too!


End file.
